Utilities • Updated on Aug. 12, 2020

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Managing the files on your Mac and sharing data between iOS devices and macOS leaves a lot to be desired. Enter Commander One, a Mac app that's everything Finder wants to be, plus an iOS file manager, an FTP client, an archiver, a cloud-storage client and more—all rolled into one—with a double-pane interface that's reminiscent of the legendary Norton Commander from the '90s.

Editor’s note: After testing five new file management utilities, we stand by our picks.

MacOS Server brings even more power to your business, home office, or school. Designed to work with macOS and iOS, macOS Server makes it easy to configure Mac and iOS devices. It’s also remarkably simple to install, set up, and manage. Add macOS Server. MuCommander, Path Finder, and Leap are probably your best bets out of the 18 options considered. 'Available on Linux, Mac, and Windows' is the primary reason people pick muCommander over the competition. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision.

The last time we checked, most macOS users have a complex relationship with Finder.

They love it, they hate it!

I think Finder is a great file management utility. It works quite great with the macOS system and offers some features like Continuity. Nevertheless, there are times when this file explorer can let you down. When compared to other file managers, Finder is lagging quite behind.

That’s why most power users recommend using a macOS Finder replacement whenever possible.

P.S. Looking for macos Dock alternatives? We’ve also got a list of the Dock replacement apps and tips that enhance its customization.

Why look for a Finder replacement?

If you use your Mac once in a while, Finder is the satisfactory file manager. Everything would be smooth and you don’t have to pay anything. When you have multiple work projects, a few thousand files and a number of workspaces to manage, however, things start changing.

As a tech reviewer, I end up storing a lot of stuff on the Mac. And macOS Finder has been so bad at helping me keep things organize. Even with the renewed Finder in macOS Mojave, things have not been better. There have been many instances when I swore at Apple for keeping such a naïve file manager.

Now, here are a few reasons why I think everyone needs a Finder replacement.

Apple hasn’t been regular when it comes to updating Finder with features. Compared to even some of the older versions of other file managers, Finder’s lack of features can be a deal-breaker.
Advanced Search is one of the many features we’ve been missing in Finder. Sometimes, it’s tough to find the file/folder that you are looking for.
There is a limit to the viewing options in Finder. It can be a real nightmare when you want to explore a few hundred photos and choose the right ones.
Finder isn’t the best option when you want network storage management. Often, you end up wishing if you had a better solution here.
Finder also lacks (or, performs very badly at) even some of the basic features we need, such as remote connections, Sync or Intuitive Navigation.

If you think you too have faced these problems, tag along.

What to look for in a Finder alternative?

Now, we are going to find some effective Finder replacements. We had a proper criteria in order to find the best alternative for macOS Finder.

The file management utility should have an intuitive User Interface. We don’t want to spend hours learning about the process. In short, we love a no-learning-curve scenario.
Customizability should be everywhere, especially when it comes to viewing options. The idea is that you should have the right way to find the right files/folders.
We’d love to have additional features in the package. For instance, Bulk Rename, Sync Support and Network File Management etc. are some great picks.
Dual Pane View is an essential feature if you ask us. Basically, it should be easy to compare multiple files from the single window.
Reliability is something we want but we never talk about. You’re using the app for managing rather important files. So, the program should work without any bugs.

We started looking for the best macOS Finder alternatives with these points in mind. And, we found a few.

The pick — ForkLift

After rigorous testing of some of the popular Finder alternative apps, we think ForkLift deserves the top pick position. ForkLift 3 from BinaryNights is a dual-pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS that packs so many impressive features.

Because it’s a third-party app, it doesn’t completely integrate with macOS. You can keep this app on the dock and access files manually. However, to make it completely replace Finder, you’d have to perform a Terminal command.

Here are a few things that we think make ForkLift the best Finder replacement app today.

Familiar yet Improved UI

ForkLift 3 comes with an interface that feels familiar and improved at the same time. We liked all aspects of this design because it enables quick navigation and previewing options. As you can see, even when we load the dual-pane mode, ForkLift looks compact. It’s incredibly easy to transfer files and other data within the two panes.

I’m someone who loves to organize my files according to multiple criteria. The afore-mentioned simple User Interface allows me to do this quickly while having a Preview option ready at all times.

Multiple Viewing Options

One of the things that I hate the most in Finder is its limited set of viewing options. ForkLift fixes this problem by introducing multiple viewing modes that you can customize. For instance, if you select the Grid viewing mode, you can customize the size of the icons. You cannot do this on Finder, but this feature is quite useful when managing photos, videos, and documents.

Regardless of the viewing option, ForkLift shows you the directory data on top. This enables quick navigation, instead of hopelessly pressing the Back button.

Outright Customizable

Customizability is also something we loved in the ForkLift 3 package. You can practically customize the way ForkLift looks and behaves. For instance, if you need a more focused approach, you can disable Dual Pane View. There is also an option to customize the items on the menu bar and Touch Bar. Just like you do on Finder, ForkLift also lets you decide which data to appear.

The fact is, you may not always use these customization options. However, if you want to improve the way you manage your files/folders, you have plenty of options inside.

Remote Connection

Remote Connections is one of the most notable features in ForkLift. It means you can establish a remote connection with your server, network storage, or services like Google Drive. The cool part is that you’d be able to connect to multiple servers at once. For network managers and even small-time website owners, this feature can be quite beneficial.

We loved how easy it is to set up and manage remote connections. As of now, ForkLift supports many protocols such as SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, SMB, AFP, and NFS.

Powerful Utilities

ForkLift 3 brings an improved way to manage your files, through utilities on steroids. We are talking about a bunch of options like Multi-Rename and Quick Look. Many of such features are available on Finder, but they are so under-developed. So, it’s good to have a fully-fledged utility that works smoothly with a manager app in general.

Another thing I love is that the developer keeps adding new features. I’ve had ForkLift on my Mac for more than a year now, and it has kept listening to demands.

Flaws but not Dealbreakers

There isn’t anything that we hated in ForkLift.

One problem is that ForkLift requires a lot of screen space. For instance, you would have to turn on the full-screen mode if you want a dual-pane screen or the preview board. This can be a bit difficult on Macs with smaller displays. That having said, you can always disable the Dual Pane mode.
Also, it would have been great if the developers included a gallery view. Gallery View has been an impressive feature in Finder since macOS Mojave. We’d have loved to see the same in ForkLift.

These are not any deal-breakers, though. On any day, ForkLift is a superior file manager than F

Nimble Commander Pro 1.1.5 For Macos